1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates, in general, to aquaculture production of seafood, and, in particular, to systems and methods for clam farming.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional clam farming experiences relatively high mortality rates during the clam growth period generally lasting many months or years for clams to grow to marketable size from seed stock. In an attempt to counter the mortality issue of the growth period, conventional clam farmers plant clams in relatively high densities. Unfortunately, this high density planting can increase expenditures for the initial seed stock. Also, with high planting densities, mortality rates during harvest are increased because as some clams are dug up, their closely packed neighbors are accidentally destroyed. Furthermore, mortality during the growth period typically has a less than uniform distribution with possible results including areas with few or no clam populations and other areas having overly dense populations of poorly formed and stunted clams adversely impacting production efficiencies.